by Julie Cannon
Matt wanted to scream touch me, make me feel desired, make me forget about everything except how I feel when you touch me. Instead, one whispered word said that and a million other unspoken desires.
“Kelly.”
Time after time Matt came, one climax stronger than the last. Kelly teased her, bringing her to the brink of climax, then backing off just enough to make her groan with frustration. She had never been as aware of the way her body responded as she did in Kelly’s arms. Every nerve was touched, aroused, soothed, and aroused again. She was overloaded from the sensations Kelly brought out in her. Some were coaxed, and others exploded of their own free will.
The beginnings of Matt’s orgasm rose again. Kelly’s mouth was on her, and she desperately wanted to wait so this intensity would last longer. But she couldn’t stop it. She grasped Kelly as first one, then a second shattering orgasm tore through her. Stars as bright as those sparkling in the summer sky beat her eyelids, accompanied by a kaleidoscope of colors. She was soaring as high as the clouds. This was the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced, a force that swept through her, washing away all her fears and her loneliness.
Slowly she emerged from the fog, her blood still racing, twitching all over. Kelly lay beside her, propped on one elbow, watching her. Matt still couldn’t believe this wasn’t a dream. Warmth spread through her as Kelly’s eyes traveled over her. She had no idea where the covers were and didn’t care. It felt good that Kelly liked what she saw, and Matt had no desire to hide from her. Kelly leaned over, cupped her chin, and kissed her.
Almost instantly, desire sparked again. Matt charted a trail of biting kisses down Kelly’s neck and over her breasts. She took her nipple into her mouth almost in desperation. She swept her hands impatiently over Kelly and into her again. Kelly’s breath quickened, and she threaded her fingers through Matt’s hair.
Matt stroked her clit with her thumb, her fingers sliding in and out in time with Kelly’s hips moving. She couldn’t get enough.
“I can’t help myself,” Matt said, kissing Kelly. “You are incredibly sexy. You’re so hot and silky, and I can’t keep my hands off you.”
“Do you hear me complaining?” Kelly choked out.
The pleasure of making love to Kelly was so intense, Matt wasn’t sure she wouldn’t implode. Higher and higher they climbed together, cresting seconds apart. Matt buried her face in Kelly’s neck, her breathing choppy, her head spinning.
For a long time, neither of them moved. Gradually her head cleared, and she shifted, moving her weight off Kelly. She rolled over onto her back and pulled Kelly along with her. Kelly settled in, her head on Matt’s shoulder, the soft weight of her arm across her belly.
“I hope I didn’t scare you,” Matt said nervously.
Kelly considered Matt’s statement for a few moments. She’d been with many lovers, each different in her frequency and desires. None of her experiences had been as intense as the last few hours with Matt. Frightened wasn’t the word Kelly would use to describe their time together. Powerful—definitely. Potent—absolutely. Urgent—at times, yes. But not frightening.
“No, not at all.”
“I just…” Matt stopped.
Kelly sensed Matt’s unease and rolled over on top of her, bracing her weight on her elbows. She looked into eyes that were troubled.
“You don’t have to explain. I loved it. You’re an exciting woman, and I want you again.”
Kelly had an overwhelming desire to touch Matt and give her the same pleasure she’d experienced repeatedly. She kissed her hot and hard, and Matt instinctively moved under her. Kelly reluctantly dragged her lips away and kissed the fine bones of Matt’s cheeks and along her jaw line before returning to the enticing mouth. Matt’s hand roamed over her back, pulling her closer.
Kelly kissed her way down Matt’s neck, stopping to tease the racing pulse just above her collarbone, then continuing her journey to taste Matt’s breast. When she captured Matt’s nipple with her mouth, Matt gasped and arched into her. Yet again, the heat and wetness of Matt’s desire was evident as Matt pushed against her.
Kelly moved her hand over Matt’s stomach in a gentle caress. The muscles under her fingers quivered as she continued her path downward. She nipped Matt’s nipple as she settled her hand between Matt’s thighs. She moved her fingers ever so slightly, and Matt arched her back as she groaned.
“God, that feels good.”
“You are so warm.” No matter how many times Kelly had touched Matt already, she continued to be in awe as she delicately traced Matt’s folds, just barely grazing her clitoris.
“Do you like that?” Kelly asked. She knew what Matt liked, but Matt answered her anyway.
“Oh, yeah,” Matt growled, her voice thick with desire.
Kelly needed her mouth on Matt. Needed to taste her desire, feel her pulse under her tongue, breathe in her scent. Kelly gently touched the bright-red surface with her tongue.
Matt gasped again, her breath coming in quick gasps. She started to move in time with Kelly’s exploring tongue and suddenly arched upward as she rode the crest of desire. “Oh God, Kelly!”
Chapter Nineteen
“It’s about time you got home, young lady.”
The pink rays of dawn were barely streaking through the sky when Matt had walked back to her room. The same man had been pushing the water off the sidewalk with his squeegee and greeted her with a knowing smile. The things he must see, Matt thought.
She leaned against the wall while she waited for the elevator to arrive. She was dead on her feet but was humming with energy. Women were made for having sex with women. They could make love all night, and she was lucky Kelly was not a one-and-done girl. It had been like they had discovered pleasure for the first time and would never experience it again once the sun rose.
The quiet ding of the elevator roused her from her stupor, and Matt stepped inside and pushed the button for her floor. Their room was on the third floor, and she usually took the stairs, but every muscle in her body was spent, in her legs particularly. Kelly had been an amazing lover, drawing more and more out of Matt than she could ever imagine.
“Do you have any idea what time it is, Mattingly Christina?” Becca said, pretending to scold her.
She hated it when Becca used her full name. Her mother had done that when she was in trouble…big trouble. “Time for me to go to bed,” Matt replied.
“I think you’ve had enough time in bed,” Becca said, spot on in her assessment.
“That’s why I need to get some sleep.”
“Not until I hear every detail of your night.” Becca pointed to the chair across from the couch where she was sitting.
“Spill.”
“Get Sandra out here.” Matt stifled a yawn. “I’m going to tell this only once.” Matt sat, knowing the sooner she answered their twenty questions, the sooner her head could hit the pillow.
“Sandra hooked up with the sweet redhead she was after all afternoon. No, wait.” Becca paused for effect. “You wouldn’t know about that because you were with Kelly all afternoon and evening and night.”
“Mom, you didn’t wait up, did you? I’m a big girl.” Matt’s tone was snarky. Becca was under a blanket, a cup of coffee in her hands. She didn’t look like she’d been awake all night.
“And if I did?”
Matt suddenly felt guilty. The walk of shame of coming home in the same clothes you left in the night before was bad enough.
“I sent you a text,” Matt said apologetically.
“Yes, you did, and no, I did not sit up all night waiting for you. I’m an early riser, and this morning was just a bit earlier than usual. I’m only on my first cup of coffee.” She held up a green-and-white mug. “Now that we have established my timeline and the whereabouts of our roomie, spill.”
Matt loved her friends and they shared everything. Well, almost everything. She hadn’t told them she hadn’t had sex since Andrea was deployed more than six years ago.
“I was with Kelly.” Just the mere speaking of her name brought back flashes of images of bodies twisting in the dark, reaching out for contact, overwhelming desire, sighs of passion, cries of ecstasy. She was hot all over again. She managed to get up without drawing too much attention to the soreness in her legs and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Becca said on her way back.
“It was nice.”
“The way you blushed when you said her name and the fact that you came in at five a.m. and can barely move says it was more than just nice.” Becca used air quotes to emphasize the word. “That and you have that fucked-all-night look on your face.”
“Guilty.” Matt held her hands up in surrender. “Now that you know everything there is to know, I’m going to bed.”
Becca shifted and patted the cushion near her feet. “Sit.”
“I thought you told me to spill. I spilled. Now you want me to sit? Make up your mind.” Matt knew Becca would prod and pry until she got the info she was looking for, and that made Matt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to analyze what had happened or share it with anyone. She just wanted to savor it a bit longer before any guilt or recriminations arrived on scene.
“Talk to me, Mattie,” Becca said in a soothing voice.
“Is that the voice you use to get confessions out of little old ladies who jaywalk?”
“No. It’s the voice I use when my best friend just had a very emotional event happen in her life.”
Matt widened her eyes.
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Mattie.”
Becca always had a way with words.
“I know getting back into the swing of things since Andrea’s been gone has been tough. But I think this is the first time you’ve stayed all night. That’s a big deal.”
No, but what’s a bigger deal is that this is the first time I’ve had sex in over six years, Matt thought. And I didn’t feel anything or think of anyone other than Kelly, other than the first, last, and only time she’d tried.
It had been almost four years after Andrea died before she finally felt ready to start dating. It wasn’t that she was still heartbroken over Andrea, but raising an active toddler alone, and holding down a job and managing a house, was exhausting.
Two years ago, she’d met someone in the school parking lot when she was waiting for Jordan to return from a field trip to the zoo. Her name was Tracy, and she was stunning. They chatted every day, and Matt finally got up the nerve to ask her to dinner.
Their date had been enjoyable, as had the four that followed. Jordan and Tracy’s son were at a birthday sleepover, and both weren’t due home until the next day. Matt had been edgy all evening. Neither she nor Tracy said anything about their free night, but Matt had thought about little else for days. She needed to get back into the dating pool, and as much as she loved Andrea, she was only thirty-five and way overdue for some release provided by something or someone other than herself.
Tracy had invited her in when Matt pulled into her driveway after dinner. They were both adults and knew exactly what would happen if she accepted. Matt was nervous, like a virgin, as she followed Tracy inside.
Tracy hadn’t wasted any time, and Matt found herself backed up against the front door seconds after Tracy closed it. Instinct kicked in, and soon their clothes were on the floor, and they were lying naked on the couch. Matt was jolted back to reality when cold air hit her. She opened her eyes and found Tracy standing over her, pulling on her pants.
“I think you better go.” Her voice was harsh, her breasts heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
“What?” Matt had asked, completely confused, her mind in pre-orgasmic mush.
“I said you need to go.”
Matt struggled to sit up, searching for a clue to what just happened.
“My name isn’t Andrea.” Tracy’s voice was flat, her eyes hard.
No number of apologies or explanations made a difference, and Matt had taken the coward’s way out and never tried again.
“I’m handling it,” she said, then added, “Really. I’m okay. Actually, I’m more than okay. It was fun, and we’re meeting for lunch today. If things continue to go well, you may not see much of me.”
Becca looked at her with her DA eyes, and Matt almost buckled and told her it had been one of the most meaningful events in her life. She’d gone places she never thought she would again and more than a few that she’d never even imagined. Matt wanted to stay here, cocooned from her in-laws, obligations to Jordan, and everything else that made having a normal, healthy sex life next to impossible.
“That was my assignment on this trip, wasn’t it?” Matt asked before Becca had a chance to say any more. She stood and kissed Becca on the cheek. “So, if you intend for me to continue to get an A+ in my work, I’ve got to get some sleep.”
Matt hustled out of the room and into hers, closing the door behind her. She stripped off her clothes, left them on the floor, pulled the covers back, and slid into the cool sheets.
Images of Kelly flashed through Matt’s brain as she closed her eyes. The warmth of her body under her, the way it reacted to her touch, the soft caresses and demanding fingers coaxing her senses to life, the way Kelly used her tongue to trace a warm wet path up and down her body. Matt’s clit began to throb.
“Jesus, Mattingly, stop acting like a horny teenager,” she said aloud. “Close your eyes and get some sleep, or you won’t be able to get any more of where all that came from.” Matt focused on her breathing and tried the relaxation techniques she’d learned shortly after Andrea’s death. They’d always worked to put her instantly to sleep. This time, however, as she thought of each muscle in her feet, the arch of her foot, the muscles of her calf, she pictured Kelly’s tongue tracing every spot. She rolled over and prayed sleep would come.
Chapter Twenty
Matt looked at her watch for the third time in half that many minutes. When she’d left Kelly this morning, they’d agreed to meet in the lobby at one for a late lunch. She’d pretended to be asleep when either Sandra or Becca opened her door to check on her, and when she finally got up, they were gone.
Matt wasn’t up to the questions she knew her friends would bombard her with. The evening had been so intense, she wanted to keep it to herself for as long as she could before opening it up to the world. Well, not really the world, but Becca and Sandra, who, along with Jordan, were her world.
A pang of guilt hit her in the stomach when she realized that she hadn’t thought about Jordan in hours. It was more like twenty-four, but she didn’t want to count that high. She’d been so preoccupied with Kelly—her smile, the sound of her voice, her hands, her lips, her tongue—she’d thought of nothing else. Take away several more checkmarks in the mother-of-the-year tally box, she thought.
It was 12:57, and Matt was more than a little nervous. They’d made love all afternoon and into the evening yesterday, and when Matt had left a little before dawn, she was exhausted. Kelly had to be as well.
“Can I help you with anything, miss?” the concierge asked.
Every member of the hotel staff was friendly, always saying good morning or hello as they passed.
“No, thank you. I’m just waiting for someone,” Matt replied, trying not to pace. It was another beautiful day, not too hot, and a light breeze kept the humidity at bay.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long?” Kelly asked, coming up beside her and kissing her on the cheek. She slid her sunglasses from her nose to the top of her head.
“No. Right on time,” Matt answered, not needing to look at her watch.
“I forgot my sunglasses and had to run back.”
“You’re definitely going to need those on a bright day like today.” On a bright day like today? Jeez, Mattingly. Could you get any stupider?
“You up for riding bikes into town? It’s about a fifteen-minute trip.” Matt had asked the concierge about the bikes while she was waiting.
Matt turned to the concierge. “We’d like to check out two bikes.”
“Certainly, miss,” the woman replied politely. She reached for a tattered, blue, three-ringed binder, opened it, and flipped a few pages, then handed Matt a pen.
“Just sign for them right here.” She pointed to the paper.
Matt followed the instructions at the top of each column header, indicating her room number, the number of bikes, and the current time. She spun the binder back around to face her.
The woman didn’t even glance at her entries, just closed the cover. “Feel free to pick out one that suits you, and enjoy yourself. Remember that we drive on the left,” she said, a large smile on her face.
“Do we need helmets or a lock?” Matt asked, a perfectly appropriate question.
“No. Not at all. Just park them by the shop you’re going into. They’ll be perfectly safe.”
Matt looked at Kelly, who shrugged. This was a very different country indeed.
They approached four racks of bikes, which held oversized beach cruisers. They had two colors to choose from and multiple sizes. All had the hotel logo on the frame and a basket attached to the front handlebars. Kids had several smaller sizes to choose from.
Kelly wheeled one halfway out of the rack. “This looks about right,” she said, backing the white one she’d chosen from its spot. With both hands on the black hand grips, she swung her leg over the red seat.
Matt chose a teal-green one, but hers had a black seat that had seen too much time in the sun. It was faded but still in good condition.
Kelly shrieked as she started to pedal, clumsily steering her bike across the sidewalk and into the parking lot.
“Oh my God. I’m so out of practice.” She laughed as her bike wobbled a few times before straightening up. Memories of Kelly’s laughter and giggles turning into sighs of desire commanding Matt to take action made her clit throb.
